In her Shoes
by HP Lovecatz
Summary: Desperate for Emma and Regina to understand one another, Henry unwittingly sends them to the past - where they live the life of the other. Who will they become when they are in each other's shoes, walking the path of the other's life? What story will they become under the tutelage of the other's life?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: a wish made**

The apocalypse was a regular occurrence in Storybrooke. And, no, Henry didn't mean the monsters and other various and assorted nefarious and villainous, but the epic fights between his two moms. He sighed as he watched the two stand toe to toe, magic practically crackling between the two as well as something else he didn't think he was old enough to quite understand or define.

"For the last time, my son is going nowhere NEAR that filthy pirate! He will come back infested with fleas- or worse!"

"The only place he would pick up fleas is from the forest where you shack up with Captain Pine-Cone and his butt boys. It surprises me how you conveniently forget your strict adherence to sanitation and manners when you are around him!"

"Watch your language! You are the one who has no couth! I understand you were raised without your parents, but one would hope that you would pick up a thing or two as many times as you've been around the block. I take that back, I'm certain you HAVE picked up a thing or two- like chlamydia or hepatitis. At least there's a cure for those unlike the idiocy you seemed to have inherited in spades."

"Just like you inherited utter evil and entitlement."

"Oh you have no idea how much that is not true," Regina seethed. "If I were more like my mother I would have ended you when you first arrived in Storybrooke."

Henry sighed as the fight continued to escalate. He looked around the diner at the gawking faces who had dared to stay before his eyes shifted to the street where the other, not so brave, townsfolk, watched with interest to see if this time the two would either kill one another or... the uncomfortable thing that he was too young to really know about but sort of knew.

As physical violence became a certainty and no longer a chance, Henry stood and lost his temper. He was tired of this. He was becoming a pawn in their argument, a piece they used to goad the other and taunt. He realized he was becoming lonely and missed both his mothers and wished they could just step back and really see the person standing in front of them.

"Enough!" he shouted. His exclamation was so unexpected his mothers stopped fighting instantly and turned to him.

"Henry, are you alright?" Regina asked in concern as she reached forward and felt his forehead. Henry's face felt like it was flaming but he knew it was from his anger- his RIGHTEOUS anger, he decided.

"No, he isn't okay. He is subjected to your over mothering every second," Emma snapped smugly.

"How dare you! I have been his mother for longer that you've even held a steady thought, must less a job, home, family, relationship-"

"STOP!" Henry shouted once more, his eyes beginning to tear up as he saw the hurt that flashed across Emma's face before she could hide it behind more anger. "I'm tired of you tearing each other apart! How can you both be so wonderful and kind to me and so mean and hurtful to each other?" He tried to sniff back the tears that were suddenly clouding his vision, causing the image of his two mothers to run together. If only they could understand each other, he thought. "I wish you two could figure out that... that you're both more than what you think of the other." They both were looking at him in confusion and he drove his fists into his thighs as he tried to find the words in his childish vocabulary to express his very adult thoughts. "I wish so hard that you could understand each other and where the other is coming from," he said softly.

His eyes widened as a great gust of wind suddenly blew through the diner.

"Henry!" both his moms yelled at once, their hands reaching for him as the wind settled around them and with a howling cry, it wrapped around them and they vanished from his sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: the rule of the red queen**

Emma stood tall upon the dais, her throne standing starkly behind her as a reminder of her status as she peered over the crowd bowed in deference before her. Her mother stood just off to her left, her proud smile and haughty demeanor mimicked in every line of her daughter. Before her stood a traitor, a man loyal to her enemies.

"I plead for the the life of my wife and daughters," he stated simply, daring to look her in the eyes.

"Why should I spare the lives of traitors?" Emma asked, as her gaze ran over the man's ragtag family. They were practically encrusted with mud and other various filth, but that isn't what brought her scorn. The fact that this family with no education, no training, no concept of how to even run their home much less a kingdom had seen fit to try to overturn her rule.

"We do not betray the rightful ruler!" spat out the man's wife. His daughters fiercely nodded and Emma sighed. She would have spared them but now she had no choice. She turned to face him and felt pity as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Then you will die on the morrow as does the one you give your allegiance," Emma's voice, while soft carried through the entire hall. It was only the fool who mistook his calm for complacence, her beauty for someone who could be brushed aside as inconsequential. "Guards, please prepare a place at the execution tomorrow for this illustrious family."

"You are a false queen, and, one day, the people will rise and overthrow you!" the man's wife shouted, seemingly undeterred even after dooming the entire family to death.

"That may be, but today is not that day," Emma intoned as she turned and made her way to her throne. "Today you are under my rule. It will be fair rule and good citizens will be rewarded with prosperity and respect. I will not allow dissidence in my kingdom to undermine that which we will build. I will care for the citizens and guide them with a stern hand when necessary. Anyone who is hungry need only visit the castle to be fed, properly clothed, and employment found if necessary. Merchants who overcharge for their goods in an attempt to gain wealth while depleting the common man will not be tolerated. Justice will no longer bow to mercy, but mercy will be utilized when the situation warrants. I am your Queen, and I will guide you with a fair hand."

SQ SQ SQ SQ

Emma sighed as she sat at her vanity allowing her dressing maid to unpin her hair. The blonde curls sat heavily on her shoulders and she felt as though her face was frozen in one expression from the intricate paint applied to heighten her features. Luminous green eyes gazed back at her from the mirror and Emma found she had a hard time meeting her own eyes. Her door swung open admitting her mother who bustled in, her expression curled into a look of disdain.

"Mother," Emma said cautiously, dismissing her maid with an impatient flick of her hand. Her eyes followed the woman who practically fled at the appearance of Emma's mother.

"That was a disgraceful showing," Cora spat, and Emma knew she wasn't referring to the traitor and his family but to Emma. She waited patiently and quietly for Cora to continue. "You let that woman call you a false queen and spout her allegiance to 'the rightful ruler' and you did nothing to countermand the ideas she placed in people's minds."

"Mother, I didn't respond to her because I didn't want to give her words any credibility. You are the one who taught me never to engage verbally with those less than me."

"You weren't have a conversation, Emma. You are the queen! You could have struck her down where she stood and you should have. It is expected that when someone challenges you that you will stamp them out like the common vermin they are."

"Yes, mother," Emma said, as if by rote. Indeed it was words she had learned to say from a young age. Her mother had always guided her and only by her hand and masterminding was Emma in the position of power- a position to right the injustices and wrongs in the kingdom.

"Honestly, Emma, sometimes I see your father in you and it distresses me greatly. I would see you be someone more than a doormat who does nothing but feel and talk about things as though either of those ever accomplished anything."

At the mention of her father, Emma's back stiffened. As a child, she had rarely spent time with her father. He was content to let her mother rear her as she would, and when she was a child, Emma longed for his presence in her life. She used to wish for him to come save her from her mother and she resented every kind word her bestowed to the servants' children. Emma quickly realized that her mother, while strict, only wished to teach her, make her better so that she could rise to the place she was destined to be- to be the savior of a people worn from years of a rule under a king who cared for nothing save his young daughter.

"No one will stand against us, mother," Emma intoned, her eyes shining with the same fervent light that reflected from her mother's gaze.

"She is with child, you know," Cora said casually. Emma's eyes widened; she had not known the king's daughter was pregnant. She swallowed thickly.

"I did not know this. Why was this information kept from me?"

"Because I know that you still battle with sentimentality. You would spare the brat's life fleetingly for the sake of the child and allow the people time to form a rebellion against you. You must act quickly and concisely."

"Why tell me now?" Emma practiced a breathing technique taught to her but her mentor as he had taught her the magical arts. She still used the exercises from time to time to school her expressions and calm her emotions.

"Because you shouldn't be blindsided by any pleas she would make. You must be firm in your resolve and remain unswayed. Snow White is too dangerous to be allowed to live."

Emma's mind flashed back to a time when she was 16 and her mother had discovered a relationship between Emma and one of the herders.

" _Your mother would never understand your true potential," Nathaniel said as he was led away by the guards. "She wishes for nothing more but your servitude and unfailing submission to her wishes. Come away with me and I can show you what real love and acceptance is." Emma couldn't look away from the sincerity in his eyes. His spell over her was broken by the dry chuckle from her mother._

" _You aren't worthy of even being in the same room as my daughter, much less worthy of her love and affection. You are the last expression of rebellion from a child who is hesitating making the final step towards adulthood. Emma do not be swayed by these pathetic pleas. You are destined for greatness, and I will stay by your side to see you achieve it."_

 _As Nathaniel was led from the room, Emma suddenly felt as though she were making the biggest mistake of her life._

" _Mother! Please do not take Nathaniel from me. I have done everything you've ever asked of me." Cora turned to look at Emma, her features contorting into the rage Emma feared. Cora backhanded her, sending her stumbling to her knees where she was too scared to move. When she was younger she had dared stand up against her mother's wrath, but those days were far behind her where even her memory dared not tread._

 _Cora had shown Emma the error of her ways. By the end of the two week punishment, Emma was weeping and thankful to be allowed a bath to wash away the crust of filth and blood that covered her skin. She realized that no one would stand in the way of her destiny, least of all herself. She knelt at her mother's feet and cried, thanking her for not allowing her to make what would be the biggest mistake of her life._

" _You must not allow the herder's disrespect to stand," Cora had said and Emma nodded as she took her place beside her mother. With a cold voice and expressionless eyes, Emma had doled out his punishment as though she were ordered soup with her dinner. His cries as the lashes tore his back did not move her, did not sway any pity in her heart. Some would call her broken, but she knew her mother had torn her apart so that she could rebuild her into what Emma needed to be._

"I will not falter, mother." Cora regarded her for long moments before nodding in satisfaction.

SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ

The day broke clear and still. Emma stood on her balcony, her eyes gazing on the distant mountains. Earlier she had thought she'd felt and seen a flash of magic and it had been gnawing at her ever since. She realized her mother was correct. She could not allow the pregnant queen or her offspring to live as either of the two would undermine her rule. Each served as a rallying symbol to the people, and Emma needed them to see her as their only leader. Her rule must be absolute to achieve the goal of peace and prosperity.

"Your Majesty?" a small whisper came from the door and Emma turned from the balcony and walked inside.

"Your name, girl," she said and barely refrained from rolling her eyes as the girl finally stammered out her name.

"Ava, ma'am." Emma fixed her with a cold look.

"I am either 'Your Majesty' or 'my Queen'. You will address me as such."

"Yes, ma- Your Gra- Majesty." Emma sighed and stepped forward as the child scampered forward and began laying out her dressings. The child and her brother were parent-less, and Emma had given both a position in her castle to prove her words were true. She hoped that she did not regret the decision as the girl began dressing her in her corset.

Emma allowed her mind to wander, and it unerringly chose to go over scenes from her childhood as though the thoughts on this day should be as dark as the deeds she had yet to do. She sighed and felt the calm fall from her face as a wave of sadness washed through her. Sometimes she felt as though she were supposed to be something more, something less- but she was who her mother had moulded her to be, and Emma was grateful, she supposed.

The door burst open and Emma knew it was her mother. She patted her hair one final time and turned to look at the woman who had held Emma's fate in her hands since Emma's first breath. Who was she if not her mother's daughter? It was her mother's planning that saw the two of them where they were now, the queen and queen's adviser of a powerful and wealthy kingdom.

Cora looked over Emma, her features forming a scowl. "They already call you the Red Queen and yet you wear red as though to make a mockery of yourself."

"White is her color, mother, and black would imply I mourn her. Instead, I will embrace the name given to me and remind everyone I am as they call me. I will run the streets red with the blood of traitors if need be." Cora's face formed a smile and her eyes shone with pride.

"I am impressed, Emma. I couldn't have said it better myself." Emma felt her heart swell with pride at her mother's words but she allowed none of the emotion to show on her face. A small voice whispered deep in her mind that it only took the promise of violence for her mother to show any pride in her.

They walked to the execution yard quietly, side by side. The servants parted as though shoved to the side and Emma frowned thoughtfully. She did not wish to see fear reflected in their eyes as she moved past, but she also didn't like the challenge she could see openly on several faces. She realized her mother was correct; either you could have the love of all the people or the respect of all the people and both were achieved through very different means.

Emma took her place on her seat in her booth and sat as they led out the fallen princess who had only been a self proclaimed claim deep within the woods where she had fled when Emma had seized control of the throne from her fool of a father. Snow White stared at Emma defiantly and Emma calmly returned the stare. She knew the woman's husband had been killed defending his wife, and Emma expected to see Snow White beaten and broken. Instead, she was proud and filled with a fire that Emma realized she herself had never felt in her entire life. And here was this woman filled to the brim with an inferno of emotion.

"You are too late," Snow White said loudly as she was tied to the stake where she would burn, her voice causing a hush to fall across the crowd as spoke. Emma's eyes dropped to the other woman's stomach and widened. "Our child, the rightful heir, has been born and sent far from here. You will never find her!" she screamed and Cora stood, shouting to the guards to set fire to the stake at once. Emma could not look away as Snow White spoke. "She is the savior and she will return one day to overthrow you and avenge her parents and her people!"

The people began shouting and the guards worked quickly to subdue them. It was pointless. As the flames licked higher up the pole and an oily smoke spread out over the crowd, the seed just planted was already growing. Emma felt her hopes of peace falling lower as the flames spread higher and she realized that Snow White died without a single scream falling from her lips except those words in which she incited a rebellion that would never die.

A plan began to form in her mind and as the words of the fallen queen washed over her, Emma allowed the last vestiges of her sentimentality to fall. There could only be a savior and a rebellion if people remembered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: throwaway, runaway**

Regina felt the tear tracks sticky upon her cheeks as she pulled herself up from the floor. Nial stood over her, his right fist clenched angrily as he wiped the back of his mouth with his left hand.

"You never learn do you, you little bitch? Every time I think you've learned your lesson, there goes that mouth. I should just give up and leave." He turned towards the bedroom and Regina reached beseechingly towards him.

"No, please, I'm sorry. Don't go. I won't talk about again, okay?" It was hard for the words to form and she could feel her split lip already swelling.

"It's too late! I'm done. I've wasted enough time with you. Look what you make me do! I swore I'd never hit a woman but your goddamn mouth!"

Regina pleaded with Nial as he packed his suitcases, but he wouldn't be swayed. As the door closed behind him, she collapsed beside it in a sobbing mess. What kind of person was she that she begged for someone to stay who beat her? Better question, what kind of person was she that someone as low as that couldn't even stand to be with her?

It had been that way her entire life. Constantly trying to please her foster parents and constantly failing. Regina never knew what she did wrong, but it seemed as though the second her true self made an appearance she wasn't wanted or welcome. Who was she kidding- foster kids were never welcome and always unwanted. They were just a paycheck or a stop gap/quick fix for women who felt the need for children but couldn't have their own.

She sighed, thinking that once again she was on her own. At eighteen, she has survived worse, and if she were honest with herself, Nial was simply the first man who wanted more from her than a blowjob. Regina hated this need for acceptance in herself that drove her into the waiting arms of any man who showed her even a modicum of attention. She needed to stop reading romance novels and fairy tales and have a little self respect, she thought to herself.

For instance, why was she crying over Nial? It was ridiculous. She didn't love him; hell, she didn't even like him. He wasn't attractive and he was terrible in bed. However, he had a good job and he smelled nice. He chose her when he could have picked from any girl at the party where they met. That meant something to her, even if she wished that it didn't.

Her only comforting thought was the tiny bundle of life growing inside of her. She had been careful earlier to guarantee that Nial's fists never hit her below the face. She was fiercely protective of her baby already and she swore to the life inside of her that she would do whatever it took to make sure he or she had a good home, food to eat, and someone that loved and accepted them. She would give the baby all the love she had never had, and she would do the best she could. She sighed as she thought who the father could be and desperately hoped that it wouldn't be Nial's. It didn't matter; she was going to do this on her own and she didn't want someone else in the baby's life, someone who could potentially take it from her.

Her thoughts quickly turned to the basic necessities of life. She needed to get a job and she needed to figure out how to pay rent. A foster mother had once told her that the best way for an attractive woman to make her way through the world was to find a man who would take care of her. As Regina had gotten older, she had realized the truth of this statement and started with the woman's husband. She hated the game women had to play, but she could find no fault with the success of it when it came to playing men to achieve what she wanted.

She stood and pushed raven locks back from her face. She tentatively licked her bottom lip and hissed at the pain. The coppery taste of blood was strong on her tongue and she sighed. Nial had actually done her an unintentional favor. A lot of men couldn't resist coming to the rescue when they saw an abused woman.

She walked towards her bedroom where clothes were flung haphazardly in Nile's rage packing. She selected an outfit that was intentionally sexy, but was definitely seductive. She didn't like the plan she was hatching, but she didn't want to be alone. She never did well when the fear of being abandoned and alone caught the dark parts of her mind. She knew her worth, but she imagined if someone would take a moment to truly get to know her they would realize that she was someone who deserved love, someone who needed it and craved it. She had so much to love and devotion to give and she would find that person.

As she dressed her mind refused to dwell on the past. She didn't want to think about all the rejections she'd faced over the years, all the times she had been _perfect_ and still wasn't good enough. This time it would be different. This time she would wait for her soulmate, and she would make a home for her baby that was worth something. A home that would never reject or destroy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The city was burning below her and Emma watched dispassionately as her soldiers moved in and out of the filthy housing, throwing the residents into the streets. Word had reached her that the low born inhabitants were secretly talking against her, and she had moved quickly and decisively against the traitors. Her adviser had cautioned for trials or at least more proof, but Emma had determined that traitors did not deserve the benefits given to loyal citizens.

"They fear you," her mother's voice said from her side and Emma noted the satisfaction buried within the cultured tone.

"Fear is not respect, my Queen," Graham spoke from her other side and Emma felt more than heard Cora's snarl as she turned on the Huntsman.

"Why do you tolerate such insolence, Emma?"

"It is important to understand how the people think, mother, and Graham provides that insight for me." She turned to face the man beside her, her gaze traveling over his handsome features. His face displayed no emotion, but Emma saw the worry and sorrow burrowed in his gaze. She had discovered his secret and she was assured of his loyalty as he would never risk the annihilation she promised the wolves if he betrayed her. "He is too intelligent to ever betray me, Mother, but I encourage his honesty as it helps me understand my next course of action."

They stood in silence listening to the screams of agony and rage from below. Emma would completely uproot the people from her kingdom and kill the roots if necessary to plant a new citizenry that understood her goals: equality, culture, working as one for the same goal. Her goals had always been for the betterment of her people, and she would never apologize for the means she used to achieve it.

"Sorry to interrupt, dearies," a cackle sounded behind them and Emma's back stiffened as she felt her magic respond to her teacher. Cora turned with a smile and Emma felt a large measure of disgust rush through her, although her face remained impassive and unmoving.

"You were summoned hours ago," Emma said quietly, inwardly seething at his audacity.

"You do not command me, your Majesty," Rumpelstiltskin sneered, her hands curling into crooked claws as he gestured to the city below. "Will you burn me as you do those in your charge?" His words tickled at the edge of Emma's conscience, and she quickly shoved the feeling aside. She did this for the good of all her people. One day she would make the wizened imp eat his words.

"Have you made progress with the curse?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowing as Cora and Rumple shared a long look.

"The curse is not viable," Cora said, and Emma turned to her in surprise. "It requires the sacrifice of the thing you love most, and I am quite certain that I have raised you to not be a slave to such weakness."

The words jarred Emma, but she could not deny the truthfulness. She loved nothing. She felt a sense of duty to her people, and she wished to make her mother proud. But she felt nothing. No friendship. No lovers. No confidants. She was never moved to tears. Her heart may as well have existed outside of her body. She sighed and turned back to the window, her thoughts racing.

"Then we must find someone foolish and powerful enough to cast the curse for us. I wish to wipe the memory of every man, woman, and child of that wretched Snow White and her Charming."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma sighed as the night air blew gently against her, causing blonde curls to dance lightly against her face. Her eyes were on the full moon as she listened to the cries of distant wolves, wondering momentarily if Graham's voice rose among them. She had seen no progress in her search for someone powerful, but naive enough to use. Emma felt like a failure and she had allowed herself to be subjected to Cora's scathing insults. She deserved them. For a moment she allowed herself to feel the full weight of her failure and the suffocating intensity felt like it would crush her.

"Hey now, a pretty girl like you can't look so sad under a moon like that," a mellow voice said from beside her and Emma turned with a start. Her eyes widened at the beautiful, green fairy who was perched on a low tree branch beside her, her luminescent wings fluttering lightly in the moonlight sending shimmers of light across Emma's stunned features.

"Wha.. who are you?" Emma stammered, wincing at the uncertainty that laced her voice.

"My name is Tinkerbell, and I'm a green fairy. I shouldn't be here, but your sadness called to me and I couldn't not come."

A fairy. Emma had seen many magical creatures, beasts, and humans, but she had never met a fairy. When she was younger she used to wish fervently for the fairies to rescue her from her mother but her belief in them lapsed as no one had ever come even to comfort her.

"You're real?" Emma breathed, the fairy mistaking the breathlessness of her voice for wonder and not the crushing anger and betrayal Emma felt. They were real and they'd never answered. She didn't move as Tinkerbell alighted from the tree and landed gently in front of her.

"Yes," her voice was soft and sad and Emma realized that Tinkerbell did understand. "I finally received my wings and I was able to fly to finally fly to you when I felt your sadness."

"You felt me?" Emma asked, trying to understand. She didn't feel threatened by the fairy and knew her magic could crush the fragile creature in front of her. She debated calling the guard but her mind was already working towards a plan to use the fairy's magic to cast her curse. She swallowed her impatience and was glad of her mother's lessons as her racing thoughts showed nothing on her face.

"I used to hear your cries when you were a child, and then when you were older," Tinkerbell said quietly, kneeling carefully in front of Emma as though Emma would spook if she moved suddenly. "I wanted so badly to come to you. But I could not and no one would listen to me. I am not like them," Tinkerbell said bitterly, her eyes falling away from Emma's as her cheeks flushed with shame.

The fairy was truly beautiful as the moon danced through the clouds and cast playful, shimmering shadows across her skin. She was wearing a low-cut green dress whose hem reached high on her thigh. Her bare feet looked so small and soft, and Emma felt her fascination growing as the lovely wings fluttered shyly under her careful scrutiny. She felt a sliver of unknown emotion rock through her and she realized with a start that she felt desire for the beautiful creature before her. Her own magic began to respond to the magic in the air around her and Tinkerbell's eyes widened slightly as Emma's own skin began to glow a light blue that reflected the glow of the moonlight.

"You have magic," Tinkerbell said wonderingly before nodding to herself. "I wondered why I could no longer hear or feel you and now I understand." The fairy glanced sadly at the ground and Emma wondered what her thoughts were.

"I learned how to survive," Emma said, surprising herself with the words.

"You learned how to hide, Emma," Tinkerbell said sadly, her words washing through Emma with a ring of truth she could not deny. "You were a duckling that grew to be a beautiful swan; elegant, beautiful, vicious in its ferocity."

"You speak to me like no one else," Emma said as anger flared through her at the fairy's words.

"I think you need someone to truly talk to you," Tinkerbell said, a smile impishly lighting her face and causing Emma's anger to die instantly. "And even if you don't," the fairy continued, "perhaps you can humor me and talk with me?"

The words were filled with loneliness and peaked Emma's curiosity. She found herself sliding from the bench and onto the ground with the fairy, who looked up at her with pleased surprise painting her features.

"You sound lonely," Emma said, shoving down the feeling inside her that resonated with the fairy's feelings.

"It is lonely in my world," Tinkerbell admitted as she plucked at the grass. Emma listened as the fairy explained her low role in her society and how she was always viewed as the screw-up while she felt the fairies were backwards and living in a society that no longer was viable in today's world. Emma was fascinated and gradually found her eyes watching the fairy's lips as they spoke instead of listening to the words that poured from between them.

"The morning light comes," Tinkerbell said quietly after speaking at length and Emma looked up as the first rays reached pink fingers across the midnight blue sky.

"I wish the night would never end," Emma said quietly, her eyes finding the fairy's. Tinkerbell flushed prettily and Emma felt her heart pounding. "Will you come again tomorrow night? Well, tonight," she amended with a crooked smile. Tinkerbell's answering smile vied with the approaching sunrise for the most beautiful thing in Emma's sight.

"I will, Emma. Until then, know that you are in my thoughts." The fairy leaned forward and kissed her cheek, both their cheeks flushing shyly as she then quickly flapped her wings and disappeared into the sunrise.

SQSQSQSQSQS

The next few weeks Emma saw Tinkerbell almost every night. They would talk for hours, often walking through the woods. Emma spotted Graham sometimes through the trees, his canine head watching her almost in wonder as she allowed herself to relax and just be a person around the fairy. She was no longer the Red Queen, but rather she was simply Emma, a woman who quickly found herself wondering if she were falling in love. Emma kept wondering when her mother would ask why she had begun to sleep so late in the morning, but Cora remained refreshingly quiet, and Emma chose to ignore the secrets hidden in her mother's eyes.

The citizens of her kingdom had calmed and it appeared as though she had squelched all uprisings. The people were prosperous and trade had increased with the surrounding kingdoms. Emma felt proud of her people's accomplishments and declared a day of feasting and revelry. She was even more proud as the people controlled themselves and debauchery was limited to a mere handful and not the uprising her mother had warned such days caused. It appeared that everything was falling into place and as such the need for the cursed began to slip from her mind.

"Emma?" Tinkerbell's voice beside her brought her back to the present and Emma turned to look at the woman beside her. Emma had removed her boots and rolled her trousers to her knees, joining the fairy with her feet in a bubbling stream. Emma felt a crooked smile cross her face and was once again lost in wonderment that the gorgeous fairy could cause her to feel so at ease and content.

"Yes?" she answered, her voice huskier than she intended causing Tinkerbell's eyebrow to raise. Emma and Tink had never discussed their mutual attraction, but Emma knew the fairy felt it as strongly as she.

"I looked into your eyes and lost my words," Tinkerbell breathed. Emma felt her breath catch in her throat as Tinkerbell leaned towards her. Her eyes widened as she almost panicked. She had never truly shared a kiss with someone and the depths of her naivety felt stifling, but she found she longed to feel the other woman's lips upon hers, to taste a kiss born of shared emotions.

Emma closed her eyes as Tinkerbell's hand slid into her hair and tilted her head. The fairy's lips were so incredibly soft and Emma sighed as the lips she dreamed of many nights moved against hers. She leaned forward capturing the sweet lips against hers as her hands moved to cup the other woman's cheeks. As Tinkerbell's tongue ran wetly against her lips, Emma moaned as a rush of arousal rushed through her body.

"Emma," the word was whispered against her lips like a prayer and Emma allowed the fairy to lay her back gently onto the grass. Their legs twined as the kiss deepened and Emma felt herself falling into emotions she had tried to contain. The depth of how she felt hit her deeply and Emma gasped as she tore herself away from Tinkerbell.

"I'm sorry," Emma gasped as tears began to roll down her cheeks. With a quick wave, she trans-ed back to her rooms where she stood bent over and trying to regain her breath. She was falling in love, and she couldn't allow that emotion into her life. She couldn't put Tinkerbell at risk because Emma's love was a death sentence, both from Cora and from her own scheming.

Before she could think further, she felt a rush of magic against her and then Tinkerbell's arms were winding around her, hugging her tightly.

"You must leave," Emma burst out as her hands pulled the fairy closer. She inhaled deeply the scent of sunshine and forest, and wished she was anyone other than who she was.

"Your Majesty?" Graham's voice echoed outside the door and Emma knew Cora had felt the magic and sent him to investigate. Emma felt the arms around her loosen and opened her eyes as a gasp of surprise left the other woman's mouth. Emma stepped back, desperately trying to rebuild her walls as Tinkerbell looked around in surprise. She had never told Tinkerbell who she was. Emma crossed to the door and pulled it open, her eyes gazing impassively at the huntsman.

"I am fine. See that no one, not even my mother, disturbs me for the evening." His eyes never moved from her but Emma saw his nostrils flare slightly as he caught the scent of the fairy. Emma was puzzled at the look of surprised hopefulness she saw fleetingly in his eyes. She closed the door quietly and locked it with a spell. She stayed face the door unable to turn and meet the fairy's eyes.

"You... you're the Red Queen?" Emma nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as she lifted her head proudly. "But they say you're evil," Tinkerbell said quietly, almost as though the words were never meant to be spoken. The words sounded conflicted, as though she were trying to mesh what she had heard to the woman she knew.

"People misunderstand my intentions," Emma said as she turned, unable to meet the fairy's gaze. "Everything I've done, every decision I've made has been for the good of my people. But I understand if you no longer wish to see me."

Silence reigned so long in the room that Emma would have though the fairy had left except she could see Tinkerbell standing still exactly where she had left her at Graham's intrusion. With a sigh, she took a seat by the fire, her thoughts brooding and dark, remembering her mother's admonishments regarding love and weakness. It was in the depths of these thoughts she felt Tinkerbell's hand upon her shoulder.

"Your sadness is overwhelming me, Emma," the fairy pleaded quietly and Emma turned to see tears glistening on the fairy's cheek.

"I'm sorry," Emma said, and the words spread out in the room seeming to encompass a myriad of things that Emma wouldn't let herself consider. The depth of her despair grew and she closed her eyes so she couldn't see the sadness mirror itself on Tinkerbell's beautiful face.

"I'm in love with you," Tinkerbell spoke quietly into the room, her words piercing the encroaching darkness and pushing it back in a blaze of light. Emma gasped and her green eyes met the fierce blue that gaze down at her with a look of compassion and love. "I won't fail you, and I won't leave you. I belong to you heart and soul."

Emma stood and tugged the fairy to her as feelings raced through her body. Tinkerbell groaned as Emma claimed her lips, the desire between them burning and leaving no room for any other thoughts and feelings. Emma walked the fairy backwards until she fell against Emma's bed, her hands bringing Emma down on top of her. They both gasped as Emma's thigh fell between Tinkerbell's legs, the wet heat searing Emma with desperate desire. Her lips fell to the beautiful neck exposed to her as Tinkerbell's head fell to the side as her hips canted upwards to meet Emma's slowly grinding thigh.

"Wait," Tinkerbell breath as Emma pulled down the top of her dress and swirled a tongue around a hardened, pink nipple. "Emma, my love, please wait." The words cut through the blinding passion and Emma rolled to the side carrying the fairy with her in her arms.

"I'm sorry," Emma managed to say, biting her lips to keep them from the fairy's. Tinkerbell groaned and closed the distance, her kiss hot on Emma's lips before she put her hand on Emma's chest and pushed her away.

"No need to apologize," the fairy managed to say through ragged breaths.

"Am I doing this wrong?" Emma asked as her thigh shifted to slide against the fairy's heat causing blue eyes to roll back before meeting hers, their color darker and blown with passion.

"Gods, no," Tinkerbell moaned as her hips began to rock against Emma. With what appeared to be a great effort she pushed herself away from Emma and stood. Her lips were plump from their kisses, her cheeks pink, hair tousled and Emma desperately wanted her. "Stop looking at me like that, Emma Swan," she called out, using the name she dubbed Emma.

"I want you," Emma said quietly, her eyes focused on the pulse she saw pounding in the gorgeous throat.

"I want you too, but..."

"But?"

"This is my first time, and I want to make certain that we are clearheaded and not acting out emotionally." Emma's heart lifted and plummeted at the same time.

"It is my first time, too," she admitted causing Tinkerbell's eyes to widen. "I have never desired anyone other than you, much less..." her words trailed off. She looked up into Tinkerbell's innocent gaze and her heart broke and fixed, then broke again. "... much less loved someone as I do you."

"Oh, Emma," Tinkerbell gasped, tears sliding down her cheeks and Emma wondered at them. "You are so beautiful and I wish you could see the person I do." Tinkerbell looked torn as her eyes flew to the window where light was appearing in the east, then back to where Emma lay waiting on the bed, her lips swollen with kisses. "I will come back here tomorrow night as soon as the sun sets and I can get away."

Emma nodded and sprang from the bed, her hands finding the fairy's and pulling her close for a hug. She couldn't get enough of the feel of the other woman against her, and as she felt the shudder rack the small frame in her arms, she knew the other woman felt the same.

"Tomorrow then," she whispered as Tinkerbell stepped back and with a blown kiss stepped off the landing and flew away.


	5. Chapter 5

**TRIGGER WARNING**

 **Chapter 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls**

"Have you considered all your options?"

It's been too long since she could think straight and the caffeine surging through Regina's system wasn't seeming to help her focus. The lack of sleep combined with the stress of the last few weeks were taking its toll on her mind and body, and she felt as though she couldn't handle one more stressor. Her hand automatically fell to her stomach and she sighed as she shook her head. It had to be done. What kind of person would she be if she brought someone else into a world like this? Her mind whispered from the dark corners that there were other options, but she couldn't imagine how she would be able to survive nine months, let alone care for a life inside of her. She was homeless, jobless... hopeless. How could she even hope to explain it to the counselor in front of her when she couldn't even articulate the thoughts to herself?

"Yes, I've considered all of the options. Are you allowed to ask that question?" The woman looked at her disapprovingly over the rims of her spectacles before glancing back down to the paperwork in front of her. "Listen, I just want to get this over with. It's hard enough-"

"A baby's life isn't worth taking a moment to think over all the options available? For instance, adoption. So many couples would love to be where you are right now and here you are throwing away a gift because that's exactly what will happen. Your baby will be ripped from you and tossed into the garbage."

The words caused a lump to form in Regina's throat. But no, she reminded herself; it wasn't a baby yet. It was a lump of growing cells, without form and thought. She needed to fix it before it could be a baby, before it would know how miserable life actually was.

"Stop. Who are you to judge me? You don't know me or my life. I seriously doubt anyone wants to be where I am in life." Remembering how she'd gotten the money for the procedure made her feel sick, and Regina leaned forward to place her head between her knees as she struggled for breath.

"Fine. One day you will look back on this moment, and I hope your thoughts on the matter stay the same."

Regina's mind shut down and she followed the nurse who came for her without question. Her body seemed to be on autopilot as she refused to allow any thoughts or feelings to distract or detract her. This was for the best. No matter what happened, she would always know she had done what was best for herself for the first time in her life. No one should be allowed to sit in judgment of her; this was her body, her choice.

Pressure. Shouldn't she feel empty? Why did she feel nothing but an overwhelming sense of relief? Briefly she wondered who her child might have been, but just as quickly she squelched the thought because in this moment there was no child. There was only a mistake that was forming in the womb of someone who wasn't able to be a mother, someone who didn't have the first clue how to even care for herself much less someone else.

"I'll be okay," Regina whispered into the sterile room and was surprised when she received a gentle squeeze from the nurse.

Was there a soul waiting for the body to form? She imagined the Hall of Souls, silent and watching, mourning the loss of a vessel for one who would now have to wait. Would the soul wait for her to see if she would once more create the vessel for it? She didn't feel as though anyone of a higher power existed. How could she have the life she did if there was someone or something above watching and caring?

"I'll be okay," she whispered once more as she dressed, the soreness between her legs almost an afterthought. She had watched them wheel the machine from her room, her mind imagining the atrocities held within its blocky depths. She had seen the pictures on the poster-boards outside, held aloft by people who pleaded with her, spat on her, pushed against her and screamed at her- pieces ripped apart and scattered. But she didn't have that. It was just a mass of tissue; there were no tiny arms and feet as she'd seen strewn across those boards. There wasn't. No.

The sunlight shone brightly outside. She looked at the line of people who stood queued on either side of a pathway. Two people stood next to her waiting to escort her through the throng who hated her for what she'd just done, hated her to the point of murder. They didn't know her. They didn't understand. It was for the best. What kind of a person would she be if she selfishly let it grow in a baby that she wouldn't be able to care for, neither in the womb or outside? She couldn't do that to a child. She knew adopted children were thrown back into the system. She knew better than anyone because she had been that child. Thrown away. Adopted. Thrown back. Fostered. Used. She was detritus.

She lifted her chin and closed off her heart as she pushed open the doors. She was instantly assaulted by the screams of "murderer" and people who tearfully asked her "why?". She ignored them and instead whispered to herself, "I'll be okay."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

The days bled into weeks which turned into months. Regina had found a job at a convenience store, and, probably because she still lived in the homeless shelter, she was able to begin saving money. She looked forward to the day she would be able to have her own place, but she had stopped hoping for much. Life is what it was, and nothing she did would ever change that.

She rang up the guy in front of her and let out a loud sigh as he passed over his money.

"Well, darling, I know I'm not much but you don't have to be so obvious about it," he said with a heavy southern accent and a disarming smile. Regina looked up startled from her bleak thoughts.

He was so handsome it almost hurt her to look at him. His brown hair fell in unruly curls and crystal blue eyes pierced her with an intent stare from beneath the longest, blackest lashes she'd ever seen. Her heart skipped a beat as the corner of his lip lifted in a half smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." he held up his hand quietening her.

"I know, darling. I was just trying to see if I could pull you out of your thoughts." He looked behind himself and finding the line empty, he leaned his arm against the counter and smiled. "Name's Nathaniel, but you can call me Nate. You got a name?"

"Regina," she answered shyly as he smiled, his teeth a blinding, perfect white.

"That's a mighty fine name. Your husband is a lucky man."

"Oh, I'm not married," Regina said quickly, wondering why she was so quick to give him personal information.

"Boyfriend?" When she shook her head, Nate genuinely looked surprised. "Girl as fine as you, single and here on the same day I find myself here and single. Serendipity." At Regina's confused look he laughed and explained. "It's like when something wonderful happens completely by chance, like me meeting you today and knowing I was put here today to make you smile."

Regina could feel the blush settling into her cheeks and as much as she tried not to, a smile formed on her lips. She could see his interest shining in his eyes, and it had been such a long time since someone had looked at her that way.

"I'd like to get your number if I could," he said and reality crashed back down around her. She sighed and shook her head slowly. "Listen, that's alright," he added quickly, causing her to look up.  
"I don't mind letting you get to know me. I work just down the block so I'll be in to see you a lot. Once you feel comfortable, you let me know."

The next day, Regina was startled to look up and see Nate watching her from the chip aisle, his crooked smile growing as her eyes widened with surprised. He stayed chatting with her until the evening rush began, and he asked again for her number before he left.

He came in every day, and it only took a week and half before Regina agreed to meet him at Big Joe's around the corner for drinks. He was charming, kind, funny, chivalrous, and he made her feel like she was someone special. For the first time in her life, Regina began to understand what it meant to fall for someone. He was beautiful, and the first time he made love to her he held her so close she could feel his heart beating against her own as he moved within her. She began to tentatively hope, began to feel as though maybe there was more to life that just surviving.

Nate took her to the see the historic sites around Boston and his stories of history brought it alive for her. Regina was fascinated by him and with him, and she found that falling in love wasn't a choice and wasn't difficult; falling in love with a man like Nate was an amazing experience in itself. She began to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, slowly began to realize that he wasn't going to morph into someone else. He accepted her and never judged her, and he picked her up from the shelter for their dates with a smile and as though he were picking her up from the Waldorf. He was her biggest cheerleader and celebrated every little success in her life as though she had discovered how to turn straw into gold.

When he asked her to move in with his, his reasoning was solid; she spent more time at his house than she did anywhere else, she already had a lot of her stuff there, she helped him buy groceries and cooked for him almost every night- he looked heartbroken when she declined. It took him a month of asking before she agreed. She never had to explain to him that she couldn't bear that thought that he offered her a home out of pity because she had begun to open up to him and share the stories of her childhood. Nate would hold her close as she whispered her heartbreaks against his chest, and she felt as though her secrets and hurt became his- and they were so much more bearable when shared.

The day she was to move in with him, Nate surprised her by taking her apartment hunting. She cried as he explained that he wanted her to have something that was hers too, and she thanked whatever gods were out there for him. He chased her through the rooms and she giggled as she darted from doorway to doorway before collapsing on the bed with him falling on top of her. His curls fell around his eyes and she gently brushed them back off his forehead as his lips lifted in a smile that was impossibly full of love and devotion.

He was her family. He gave her support and understanding, allowed her to accept him and the love he offered. He never pushed, and his patience and kindness gave her the strength to open herself up to others.

She should have known it wouldn't last. People like her didn't get happy endings.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Due to messages and reviews left regarding Tinkerbell's role in the story, I have changed this chapter from the original. Your reviews and messages really do influence the direction of the story so please feel free to leave whatever thoughts and opinions in a review, or if you prefer, message me directly. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. -A._

 **Chapter Six: Mea Culpa**

Emma found herself completely distracted, her thoughts torn between her next step towards securing the safety and comfort of her people and the blonde fairy whose kisses still burned her lips. The dreamy look in her eyes did not go unnoticed and before long she became aware that her guardsmen and mother were watching her closely, the former in confusion and the latter with an unreadable expression.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Emma discovered that we was beginning to second guess her decisions and actions. She couldn't forget the look that washed over Tinkerbell's face when she realized that Emma was the Red Queen. The person she was in the fairy's presence felt at war with the person she presented every day to rule and the dichotomy was becoming almost too much. As if in tune with her thoughts, her mother spoke.

"I was surprised several times today." Emma glanced at her in confusion as they strode down the corridors to their rooms.

"What do you mean, Mother?"

"Your rulings were merciful when you should have shown none. The farmer who was stealing from his neighbor should have been dealt with firmly and you practically coddled him."

"If we imprisoned him and took him from his family, we only create more thieves when his children and wive begin to starve on the street. The throne paid his debt and he will repay the throne plus interest. I am sending someone to test his soil to determine if the area need assistance. I promised to care for all my subjects and giving up on a good man is not how to do that."

"That _good man_ is a thief! He has proven he is unworthy of such a title. Really, Emma, I'm disappointed in you." Emma stopped walking and turned to face her mother.

"He had many character witnesses including the man he stole from! If the wounded party states that he believes in the goodness and character of the accused, how then am I, who does not know the man, stand in exact opposite judgment of him?"

"Because you are not like them. If you let one person get away with a crime you will become known as weak. More people will begin to follow his example, and, before you know it, your kingdom will begin to wear down at the basic level, a level you won't be able to fix and the entire mechanism will fall apart. Leave social justice to the clergy, Emma! You are a queen."

The words made sense, that was the worst part. Emma felt as though her emotions and judgments were at war within herself and she bowed her head acknowledging the potential truth found in her mother's words. Cora breathed a sigh of relief as she nodded.

"A ruler must rule from their head and not their heart. Each decision is a complication algorithm and every potential solution and resolution must be weighed." A shadow crossed Cora's face and Emma's eyes widened as her mother's eyes almost... softened. "It is difficult, I know, to separate from the heart. I don't want you to suffer the pain of learning that hard way as life has imposed on some of us."

With those words, Cora turned and walked away leaving Emma more conflicted than before. She had always thought her mother came from a place without care or feeling, but a new thought was rearing it's head that Cora treated Emma the way she did from her own way of showing care. Emma didn't know how long she stood there contemplating her mother's words but when she snapped back to herself, she looked down the hall to find her guardsmen and the servants quietly watching her, their stances open and their eyes filled with an emotion she couldn't place.

"Excuse me," Emma murmured as she began walking the rest of the way to her rooms. She had never addressed the servants before, but she couldn't ignore the quiet...feeling in their eyes. What was happening to her? She didn't want to be torn. She didn't want to second guess her past decisions and she didn't want to question whether her vision for the future was attainable.

At her door the huntsman stopped and waited expectantly, his eyes filled with the same emotion held within the servants'. Emma tried to place it but her own experience couldn't yield her the name.

"Graham, did you wish to speak?" she asked quietly. He shook his head and turned to watch the hall, motioning the other guardsmen into place. "Please see that no one disturbs me tonight." He nodded and held her door open for her, closing it quietly behind him. Stepping inside, she quickly dismissed her dressing maid who exited quietly, giving her a searching look as she did.

Emma immediately let out a held breath once the door closed and she was alone. She felt so out of sorts with herself and tried to find the still pool inside her that gave her a sense of purpose and destiny. All she found was more of the same building storm. She carefully took the pins from her hair and let it fall in soft curls and waves down her back and shoulders. The dress quickly followed and Emma hurriedly changed into a pair of riding trousers and soft button down shirt. She tugged the knee high boots on over her pants and without a second thought trans-ed to her garden.

Tinkerbell was walking among the roses, stopping to smell each sweet scent as she spoke quietly to the plants. Emma felt her heart lurch inside her chest and she felt overwhelmed at the depth of emotion she felt towards the tiny blonde. Tinkerbell turned with a smile that instantly shamed the beauty of the night and Emma felt an emotion bloom in her chest that she'd never felt before: joy.

"You're just in time to help me convince the sunflowers that they are as beautiful as the roses in their own way," Tinkerbell said, her melodious voice carrying to Emma on the night breeze.

"And if I'd rather convince you that everything pales when compared to your beauty?" At Emma's words, Tinkerbell blushed and laughed softly.

"You're such a charmer, Emma Swan."

"I'm just a woman in love," Emma said, her heart beating loudly in her ears as she admitted the words aloud. "I'm yours."

They walked the gardens talking quietly for the next few hours, and Emma found her heart lightening as she laughed easily in the presence of the fairy. Their hands found one another and Emma shyly kissed each finger of the fairy's hand wrapped around hers.

"I am glad to see the sorrow has left your eyes," Tinkerbell said quietly as the moon was just beginning its descent. Emma look down at the grown, her eyes studying the ground as the emotions from before flooded through her: disquieting, questioning emotions that left her floundering within her very soul.

"I am at war with myself," Emma admitted quietly.

Tinkerbell stepped forward, the moonlight playing upon her lips and dancing in her eyes. Her hand lifted and gently brushed a strand of hair from Emma's cheek.

"Emma, my love, you are a goddess among men and so much more than you know."

Emma leaned down and with the barest of touches, kissed the fairy's lips that tasted like sunshine and strawberries. She moaned quietly in her throat as Tinkerbell deepened the kiss just a fraction, the gentle press of her kiss offset by the warm wet of the tongue that licked Emma's bottom lip.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for the interruption." Graham's voice behind her broke Emma from her trance. Tinkerbell's eyes widened in surprised and she turned to fly away. Emma's hand on her wrist stopped the fairy's flight.

"What is it, huntsman?" Emma did not turn or take her eyes from the fairy's. She could see the conflicting emotions swirling in the gentle blue.

"Your mother has summoned you to the throne room. She sent a messenger but did not come herself." Emma knew this was his way of telling her that her mother did not know she had been out almost all night. "There has been an incident at one of the local Lord's manor that requires your immediate attention." Emma sighed as she released Tinkerbell.

"Please give me a moment of privacy." She heard his boots walk away and knew he was allowing the noise for her benefit. Graham was a ghost when he wished to be.

"I apologize, but I must answer this summons. My mother would not call for me if it were not a serious matter." At the mention of Emma's mother, the fairy's eyes widened in fear. Emma could see her visible gulp. "Will I see you tomorrow night?" Emma asked quietly. Tinkerbell shyly lifted onto her tiptoes to place a kiss gently on Emma's cheek.

"As long as breath is in my body and I am able, I will meet you every night, Emma Swan."

Emma strode to Graham and they walked towards the throne room. Emma questioned him regarding the circumstances but he had no information to share as he had immediately left to seek her out upon receiving the message. Emma spent the rest of the walk wondering why her mother had been informed of a dire situation before she herself, but dismissed the thought as they neared the throne room as something unworthy of note.

As she took her throne she noticed the looks given to her by the guardsmen and her mother. She barely contained a blush as she remembered the trousers and boots, not to mention her free flowing hair, hair which she usually kept tightly coiled to her head. She cleared her throat and turned her attention to the men and one woman assembled before her throne, one man in shackles and chains, bleeding and barely standing.

"The man is accused of attacking his Lord and starting a riot at the manor, a riot which spread into your city and followed him to the castle." Cora spoke, the words clipped and angry. Emma's eyes widened. She turned to her guard captain and he quickly began to speak.

"The citizens have done nothing but gather as of yet, your Majesty, other than raze this lord's manor to the ground." Emma could sense the disgust behind his words and she turned to the angry lord who paced in front of her flexing his hands and looking as though he wished to kill the shackled man with his bare hands.

"What happened?" she asked him, lifting her hand to silence everyone but the man to whom she directed her question.

"He attacked me and my son in our own home! He is worthless scum."

"Why did he attack you?" Emma asked. The man looked at her in surprise. His graying hair seemed to practically vibrate with his anger as he turned to her.

"Why is the why important?" he spat and Emma sat forward causing him to cringe backwards.

"Because I asked you a direct question and I am your queen."

"His son raped my wife!" the man in shackles cried out, the pain in his voice caused from more than his wounds. Emma's eyes widened as she turned back to the lord.

"What is your name?" she asked quietly.

"Lord Markham. My family has owned the Keegan Vineyards for more generations than this kingdom has even existed. That filth," he spat out the word to the main in chains, "attached my son for 'raping' his wife. It is obvious that his wife jumped at the chance to be with someone of my son's caliber."

"He and his family are staunch supporters of the throne," Cora said quietly from her side as the lord continuing demeaning the man and his 'whore of a wife'. The words slammed into Emma. This man supported her. This man who saw the entire world as something that was beneath him.

"No. She didn't consent. He beat her for her audacity to tell him no and then he and his men raped her the hours I was at work for YOU, earning barely a wage that keeps my family fed and housed. We are practically slaves to you and your son treat us worse than you do your dogs!"

Emma held up her hand for silence and looked around the room to the woman who was cowering against the man in chains. She stepped off her throne and walked to the woman who lay still and pale on the cold stone floor of the throne room. She was bleeding, bruised, and Emma could tell as she approached that she suffered rib fractures by how unnaturally they protruded through the thin blanket wrapped around her.

"Send for a doctor at once," Emma's voice rang out and a guardsman rushed from the room.

"He beat a squad of my guards and we could barely restrain him. He has incited a riot against me and therefore against you with these claims of rape," Markham spat out, his eyes filled with disgust as they landed on the broken woman. Emma ignored him as she knelt, her heart pounding in her ears so loudly she felt as though everyone else would be able to hear it. She motioned Graham forward and took the keys from his belt at his approach. With delicate care, she unlocked and unwound the cuffs and chains from the man who looked at her in such startled surprise it made Emma wonder what he thought of her.

Emma she stood and walked back to her throne. She did not take a seat. Anger was coursing through her, its fiery intensity igniting her wrath.

"What are you doing?" Markham asked, his voice still arrogant and snide.

"Where is your son?" Emma asked, her voice ringing through the empty room and echoing from the walls.

"I don't understand why..." Emma silenced him with a look and Graham stepped forward menacingly. Markham gulped.

"Where. Is. Your. Son?" Emma asked again, biting off each word.

"He is gathering armsmen to fight against the riot with you," Markham answered in confusion. "He is probably just outside awaiting your orders."

"That is very presumptuous of you," Emma said. She turned to her guard captain who nodded and immediately sent a squad towards the door.

"What is happening?" Markham asked just as the door swung open and the court doctor entered and quickly hurried to the woman. He began barking orders to the guardsmen who quickly and gently lifted the woman and began to carry her from the room.

"What is your name?" Emma asked husband who watched his wife being carried away, his eyes longing to follow. He stood as straight as his wounds would allow and turned to face her.

"Robin, my queen, and my wife is Marian."

"You will know justice," Emma said and heard her mother hiss air between her teeth. Cora reached for Emma but Emma stepped out of her reach. She was queen and she didn't need her mother's guidance. If this man and his son were her supporters... if this was who thought they would flourish under her rule...

The guards entered, the Lord's son in their center. He bowed with a flourish as he approached, and Emma detested him even more for not being smart enough to read the mood of the room.

"Did you beat and force yourself upon this man's wife after her refusal of your sexual advances?" The smile slid from his face and he looked at his father in confusion.

"I didn't ask her. I simply accepted what she on display and was offering."

"I fail to see the invitation to violent sex that led to her body being broken and bleeding." He was at a loss for words and the confusion on his face changed to fear as his personal guard was led inside, weapons removed.

"Which of your guard participated in your beating and rape of this man's wife?"

"Your Majesty-" Markham tried to protest and Emma held her hand for silence as the doctor came back into the room. He shook his head with a weary sigh and Robin cried out in grief as he fell to his knees. Emma turned back to the Lord and his son, her wrath pulsing through her as magic flew from her and wrapped the two in a vise.

"All of the ones present in this room participated, your Majesty," Graham said quietly, the disgust and anger in his voice causing it to reach a timber that sounded like a growl. "The ones who refused were stripped of their jobs and they and their families were thrown out into the street."

"Find out their names and send for them at once. They have proven themselves worthy of the castle guard." Emma turned to the Lord's son who twisted trying to escape the vise of her magic.

"You have raped, beaten, and murdered this man's wife. Your own life is forfeit as are those of your guard who remained."

Markham's voice rose in strident protest but Emma didn't hear him. Robin's cries rang in her ears and thrummed deep inside her, heating her own internal war. Cora stepped forward, her angry whispers of Emma making a terrible mistake denouncing their staunchest ally adding fuel to the fire coursing through her. Emma turned and gathered her magic. With a howl of anger she unleashed her righteous fury into Markham's son and his sadistic guard. Their bodies fell lifeless to the floor as her magic released them.

"You will pay for this!" Markham shouted, his fury and grief robbing him of any sort of self preservation.

"Markham, you are stripped of your titles and lands. You do not deserve a place of rule in my kingdom."

"Emma!" Cora shouted, the shock in her words almost palpable. Emma turned towards her mother, her magic whipping around her furiously.

"I am the Queen," she intoned before turning and striding towards the door.

As she stepped outside onto her balcony, she was unprepared for the countless people who waited silently and on edge in the courtyard below her. She didn't know how to speak to her people and the agonizing compassion she felt for Robin and Marian caused what words she did have to stick in her throat. Their eyes turned as the front of the castle opened and the bodies of the lord's son and guard were quickly brought out.

"I am sworn to protect you; all of you. I am your sword and your shield. I will be your vengeance and your sheltering embrace. No Lord has the right to take your free will from you and I will punish those who would enslave through poverty and blackmail."

The people relaxed and Emma thought she could practically feel their expelled breaths as though some great event had been averted. Her eyes roamed the masses and her eyes widened in surprise as they began to turn and walk back towards their homes. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she tried to grasp what had happened just now between her and her people.

She turned and made her way to her rooms. She could sense Cora seething behind her, but she would not engage in a debate with her mother. She was tired and she needed to sleep, to try and forget Robin's anguished cries and the look of utter self confidence and entitlement on Markham's face. Her greatest ally and supporter.

"Do not allow anyone to disturb me," she said as she began pushing open her door.

"Yes, My Queen," Graham said, his voice filled with emotion as he dropped to one knee and a fisted hand pressed to the floor. Emma's eyes widened in surprise as he bowed his head, dropping his eyes to her feet. He had never referred to her as such and had never so much as bowed to her much lest knelt before her.

She couldn't speak past the emotion in her voice and she quickly entered her rooms. Her internal war sprang anew and the thoughts of the ramifications of her actions skewered her with doubt and fears. Her biggest supporter. Who was she? What was she?

"Emma?" a soft voice reached her from her window and she looked up as Tinkerbell carefully stepped to the open pane, her wings beating behind her in the soft pulses of her heartbeat. She stood there, unmoving, her eyes filled with soft, bottomless depths of emotion.

Emma sagged against the door, the weight of the night falling heavily upon her. Her eyes never left the gaze of the woman who was the catalyst for the change inside of her.

Their eyes locked and Emma tried to chase the emotions in Tinkerbell's eyes that flitted like sunlight over rippling waves. Love. Sadness. Regret. Hope. Compassion. She couldn't understand what she saw but felt the awareness settle deep inside her.

"Tomorrow night," the fairy whispered before turning to fly into the night.


End file.
